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Forts, palaces, architectural marvels and tales of valour, all in their own way, bear testimony to the glory that Jaipur is and was just after it was conceived by Sawai Jai Singh in 1727. Located 262 kilometers from Delhi, jaipur was the first planned city in northern India. Jaipur's history dates back to the 12th century when the Kachchwaha clan o Rajputs arrived at the old fort palace of Amber in the Aravalli Hills. The Kachchwaha belonged to the Kshatriya, or the warrior caste of Hindus, but they traced their origins back to the sun, via Kusa who the twin son of the god Rama.
The people the Kachchwahas ousted were the Susawat Minas,
who became the hereditary loyal guards of what became one of the
largest and most valuable treasuries in India. From this base, the
Kachchwaha Rajputs, with their brilliant soldiering, and a knack
for lucrative alliances (even if that meant swallowingg Rajput
pride), amassed a fortune. It was the special relationship the
Amber rulers developed with the Mughals that brought them real
power, influence and wealth.
Arriving from Jaipur through the narrow pass in the hills,
you are presented with a view of the honey coloured Amber
fort-palace that conforms to every expectation of how a romantic
Rajupt forts should appear. It rambles over a rugged hill,
reflected in Maota Lake below. The odd elephant plods up the
ramparts road. In Amber village, which clusters around the hill,
gem-cutters smoothen and cut stones, the faithful go to mosques and
temples, and children run around the royal chhatris (mausoleums)
and decaying houses. A circle of protective hills surrounds all
this, and snaking up these hills are crenulated walls punctuated by
look-our posts. On the highest ridge and overlooking the valley is
Jaigarh Fort, a spectacular display of defence. Inside Amber Fort,
the contrast is sharp, the grand painted gateway, the hall o public
audience that made even the Mughal emperor jealous, pools and
cascades to cool the air in summer heat, and the hall o mirrors
inlaid with tiny pieces of glass so that a single flame creates a
room o a thousand bejeweled stars.
The power to create such a strong fort enclosing such
beauty was built up over several generations. Raja Bihar Mal made
the first move. Recognizing Mughal power, he paid homage to the
emperor Humayun and led a 5,000-strong army for him. Then he made
sure he was the first Rajput presented at Akbar's court. His big
chance came when Akbar made his first annual pilgrimage to Ajemr,
the burial place of a Muslim saint, which lay in Kachchwaha
territory. On a visit to Akbar's tent, Bihar Mal gave his daughter
to be the emperor's wife and his adopted grandson, Man Sing, into
royal service. The daughter finally gave Akbar his first son, who
became emperor Jahangir. The next ruler, Bhawan Das, cemented the
alliance and gave a daughter to be Jahangir's wife. Then came the
two rulers who built Amber. Man Singh, a leading general under both
Akbar and Jahanir, and Jai Sing I, a military and diplomatic genius
who brought the house of Amber to its apogee at the Muhal court, On
the throne aged 11, Jai Singh I was soon commanding a Mughal force
for Jahangir, then fought all over the Mughal empire for Shah Jahan
and finally backed the right side in the war for succession and
became emperor Aurangezeb's most prized Rajput commander. All this
time, the Kachchwaha coffers were filling with prizes, rewards and
booty. Three rulers later, Jai Singh II, another child prodigy,
came to the throne. The young lad quickly impressed the 71-year-old
Aurangzeb who awarded him the title 'Sawai', meaning
one-and-a-quarter. Even today, the flag flying above the City
Palace in Jaipur has an extra, quarter sized one next to it. Jai
Singh II, having proved his soldiering ability further enriched his
coffers and fulfilled his other passions - the arts and sciences.
The impressive giant stone instruments which he devised for the
open-air observatories at Jaipur, Delhi, Ujjain and Varanasi stand
testimony to his scientific prowess. After ascending the throne, he
shifted the capital from Amer. He studied the architecture of
several European cities and drew up plans for constructing a larger
and well-planned city. He consulted his best mathematicians,
astronomers and the Silpa Sastra Sastra, a traditional Hindu
architectural treatise before making the the blueprint for the new
city.
After building close bonds with the Mughas and sure that
there could be no danger to his throne, Sawai Jai Singh, envisioned
his dream project, the building of Jaipur. the foundation stone was
laid by him in 1727 and an eminent architect, Vidyadhar
Bhattacharaya, was asked to desing the 'Pink City. ' It was a
two-in-one compliment as 'Jai' means victory and was also the
ruler's first name. That it was later chosen as the capital of
Rajasthan formed from the amalgamation of various kingdoms, was a
tribute to both Jai Singh and Bhattaccharya.
The city was planned in a grid system of seven blocks of
buildings with wide straight avenues lined with trees, with the
place set on the north side.Surrounding it are high walls pieced
with ten gates. The site of the shops were chosen after careful
planning and they are arranged in nine rectangular city sectors
(chokris). Jaipur was the first sizable city in north India to be
built from scratch, though the famous pink colour symbolizing
welcome', came later when Ram Singh II received the Prince of Wales
in 1876. The colour was chosen after several experiments to cut
down the intense glare from the reflection of the blazing rays of
the sun. To this day, the buildings are uniformly rose pink. After
Jai Singh died in 1773, a battle for succession followed and the
Marathas and jats who were making advances in various parts of the
country also decided to try their luck and Jaipur lost large chunks
of territory with the ruler playing second fiddle the the fast
growing East India Company. In 1818, several maharajas of the
north-west princely states and Maharaja Jagat Singh of Jaipur,
signed a treaty with the British under which they could continue to
have control of their states, but would be collectively supervised
by the British under a new name, Rajputana. After Independence,
Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and other Rajpur states merged
to form the state of Rajasthan with Jaipur as the capital. And even
after 273 years after it was founded, jaipur has retained its
unique flavour and old world charm. It is a bustling trading centre
with colorfully set bazars, people sporting blood-red turbans,
puppet sellers, and festivals and fairs.
Architectural
Layout
The City Palace reflects Rajput, Mughal and European architectural
styles although the palace was designed to Vaastushastra treatise.
Some of the famous gates are the 'Udai Pol', 'Jaleb Chowk',
'Tripolia Gate' and 'Virendra Pol', which also happen to be the
various entrances to the palace. These are all richly decorated.
The Palace has been designed according to a 'grid style' and houses
various structures such as, 'Chandra Mahal', 'Mubarak Mahal',
'Diwan-I-Khas' and the 'Govind Dev Ji Temple. The walls and gates
are ornately designed to Mughal style, with various murals, lattice
and mirrors adorning them from
sides.
Camel Leather
Items
Camel Leather Items,
JaipurJaipur is famous for its leather craft industries. Camel
leather items like bags, shoes, wallets and sandals have gained
international fame for their elegance and designs. You will find
the best quality camel leather products in Jaipur. They are
available in a large number or designs and styles, to suit
everybody's needs. The leather works in Jaipur are a result of the
combined efforts of dedicated men and women; while men are
essentially involved in tanning, cutting and hemming, it is
generally the women who do the embroidery. 'Bapu Bazar' in Jaipur
is known for its camel leather items. Camel leather footwear and
bags are very popular among foreign tourists. Apart from the
crafts, fabrics and jewelry, Jaipur is a great destination for
leather items shopping. Jaipur is known as the "Shopping Paradise"
for it varied and extraordinary handiworks, leather products and
textiles, which are distinctive of Rajasthan. Read on to know
more.
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